Seam pressing machine



April 1947- E. QUINN ET AL SEAM PRESSING MACHINE Filed July 20, 1944 3 SheetsSheet 1 Edward Quinn Fred 5. Muzzey April 29, 1947. E, UlNN ET AL 2,419,596

SEAM PRESSING MACHINE Filed July 20, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventors Edward Quinn Patented Apr. 29, 1947 aliases SEAM PRESSING MACHINE Edward Quinn, Saugus, and Fred E. Muzzey,

Haverhill, Mass., assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flcmington, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application July '20, 1944, Serial No. 545,798

This invention relates to machines for Dressing seams in shoe parts and is herein disclosed as embodied in a machine of the type illustrated and described in an application for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 544,728, filed on July 13, 1944, in the name of Milton H. Roske. That application discloses and claims a seam pressing machine having provision for tensioning a work piece transversely during the performance of the operation and a divisional application filed thereunder on September 22, 1945, Serial No. 618,004, discloses and claims the method of thus tensioning the work piece. The machine illustrated herein, like that disclosed in the Roske applications, is provided with a seam pressing roll of relatively large diameter and with a pair of work feeding and tensioning r0115 between which the pressing roll extends. Suitable supports are provided in both machines for holding the Work against the pressing roll and the feed rolls. I

It i an object of the present invention to pro- 9 Claims. (Cl. 69-7) vide an improved seam pressing machine of the type under consideration. In accordance with this object, a feature of the invention consists in a novel arrangement of the feeding mechanism wherein the feed rolls are not only carried by separate shafts, but are also arranged in coaxial relation to each other. springs surrounding the shafts are provided for urging the feed rolls toward each other against the work piece. The feed rolls have frusto-conical peripheries which cooperate with the work support not only to control the feed of the work piece, but to tension the work piece over the support. Such tensioning has been found to result in better work.

Another feature of the invention consists in the provision of a supporting member having work-engaging portions of different contour (grooved and non-grooved) which may be selec tively brought into operating position to meet thedemands of the particular job.

These and other features of the invention, in-

cluding certain details of construction and com- Fig. 2 is a front view of the machine, looking down at an angle corresponding to .the tilt of the frameasshownin Fig.1;

' -Flg, 3 'is a large scale side elevation ofthe Compression 2 work-engaging instrumentalities in operation upon a work piece;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the parts shown in Fig.3; I

Fig.5 is a section taken on the line V'V of Fig.3;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line VI--VI of Fig. 3; v 'Fig. '7 is a View similar to Fig. 6, omitting the 'feed rolls and showing the presser roll in a different position of rotation; and i Fig. 8 is a detail view of a portion of the pressingroll. I- Y V1 The operating instrumentalities of the illustrative machine comprise a driven seam pressing or seam rubbing roll IQ of relatively large diameter, a work support l2, and a pair of driven feed rolls M and 18. The work'is guided to the operating members by a seam ridge guide 18 and a seam crease guide-2i The seam pressing roll, the feed rolls and the seam ridge guide are supported by a yoke-shaped bracket 22 (Fig. 1) 'hav-: ing a crosspiece 24 and a pair of downwardly extending arms 26 and 28 which are positioned'on opposite sides of the Work support l2 and-are secured at their lower ends to acrosspiece 30. The work support I2 is mounted on the crosspiece30. For the convenience "of the operator, the entire frame may be tilted back to'the most desirable operating position. To this end, the crosspiece 30. is hinged upon a pintle or crosspin -34 which is clamped by setscrews 33 in holes formed in ears '35 extending rearwardly from the crosspiece 38. The ends of the pintle 34 are journaled in bearing holes formed in a pair of base brackets 36 having upwardly extending side plates 38. The brackets 35 are adapted to be secured to a workbench 39. The'crosspiece 30 is clamped in the'desired position of tilted adjustment by screws at (Fig, 1) extending through arcuate slots 42 in the side plates 38 and threaded into brackets 44 (Fig. 2) secured upon the arms 26 and 28.-'-

The seam pressing roll I!) is a relatively narrow disk-like member having a fluted periphery. It is secured upon a shaft 45' journaled in bearings'AS carried by the arms 2% and 28 and also in bearings: 56 carried by brackets .52 depending fromthe crosspiece 24. A pulley 54 on the shaft 46 is driven by a belt 56which, in turn, may be driven from any suitable source of power. The roll H] is thus driven at relatively high speed. The feed roll I6 is secured upon one endof' a shaft 58.. A gear 60, secured to the opposite end of the-shaft 58', meshes with a gear 62 on a' shaft 64 parallel to the shaft .58. Secured-uponthe shaft 64 and driven by a bevel gear 66 is a bevel gear 68. A hollow shaft I mounted for rotation on a stationary bearing pin I2 carries the bevel gear 66 and also a worm gear 14 which meshes with a worm I6. A shaft I8 which carries the worm I6 is driven through a pulley 82 from a belt 85 which, in turn, is driven from any suitable source of power. The shaft 58 is journal'ed near one of its ends in a bearing 86 carried by a yokeshaped bracket 88 which is clamped at one end by screws 96 to the arm 28 and at the other end by screws 9I to the arm 26. The screws 96 and 9| are threaded into their respective arms and extend through slots formed in the bracket 88 to provide for forward and backward adjustment of the bracket, the slots being wide enough to permit some heightwise adjustment also. The shaft 58 is journaled near its other end in a bearing 84 carried by a bracket 93 secured to and extending forwardly from the bracket 88. Surrounding the shaft 58 is a coil compression spring 92 one end of which bears against a washer 94 which, in turn, is supported against the thrust of the spring by the bearing 66. Th opposite end of the spring 92 bears against a collar 96 which is secured by a setscrew 58 to the shaft '56. The bearings 36 and 24 permit the shaft 58 not only to turn freely, but also to slide in the direction of its axis. The extent of this sliding movement is so slight as to render the relative displacement of the gears 60 and 62 negligible. Movement of the shaft 58 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, under the influence of the spring 92 is limited by a collar I60 secured upon the shaft by a s'etscrew I02 and engaging the bearing 84. The shaft 64" is journaled in suitable bearings I64 secured in the bracket 66, and the shaft I8 is mounted in suitable bearings NH and I63 carried by'brackets I and I0! secured to the bracket 85. The bearing pin 12, which has a reduced threaded end H5 and also a collar I09 bearing against a finished annular surface on the gear I4, is clamped by a nut I II to a bracket I I3 secured to the bracket 88.

The feed roll I4 is secured upon the right-hand end of a shaft I66 which is mounted in bearings I68 and III! carried by the bracket 88 and a bracket II 2, respectively, the bracket II2 being mounted on the bracket '88. The shaft I06 is driven by a gear I I4 upon one of its ends, and the gear I I4, in turn, is driven by a gear I I5 (Fig. 2) mounted upon the shaft 64. The feed roll I4 is urged toward the right by a compression spring II6 inthe same manner as the feed roll I6. The arrangement of the feed roll I4 is in all respects similar to that of the feed roll I6 except that the feed roll I4 is mounted upon the right-hand end of the shaft I66 and is urged toward the right. The feed rolls I4 and I6 have frusto-conical knurled or lightly roughened working surfaces II8 (Fig. 6).

The arms 26 and 25 are cut away in the vicinity of the bearings 65 and I48 to accommodate the forward and backward, and also heightwise, adjustments of the bracket 88 already mentioned.

The seam ridge guide I8 consists of a pair of spaced members I 22 and I 22 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) which engage opposite sides of the seam ridge. The guide member I26 is mounted on a block I2I (Fig. 4-) which is carried upon the lower end of a slide I 24 and the guide member I 22 is mounted on a block I22 which is carried upon the lower end of a slide 426. Each of the blocks I2I and I23 (Figs. 3 and Qhas a tongue I25 which is T- shaped' in cross section and which is horizontally slidable in a complemental groove in its respective slide I24 or I26. A. screw I21, oppositely threaded through the blocks I2I and I23, may be turned in one direction or the other to adjust the blocks closer to or farther from each other. Each of the blocks I2I and I23 has also a tongue-and-groove connection with its respective guide member I26 and I22 to provide for heightwise adjustment of the guide member. The guide members I and I22 are secured to their respective slides by screws I40 which extend through slots in the slides to provide for individual heightwise adjustment of the slides.

Both guide members I26 and I 22 taper rearwardly from their supporting slides to a point close to the pressing roll It, as shown in Fig. 3. The work-engaging surfaces of these guides form, in cross section, an open or truncated inverted V,

l as shown in Fig. 5. The slides I24 and I25 are connected by a crosspiece I28 (Figs. 1 and 2) and move as a unit. They are slidable-heightwise in guideways 135, the principal portions of which are integral with and depend from a bracket I2I (Fig. l) secured by screws I33 to the frame member 22 with provision for forward and rearward adjustment. A tension spring I32 having its upper end secured to the crosspiece i22 and its lower end secured to the frame 22 urges the guide members I20 and I22 downwardly as far as permitted by the shoulder of a stop screw 534 turning freely in a lug i345 extending rearwardly from the crosspiece I 28, the screw I34 having its lower end threaded in a portion of the frame 22. Upward movement of the guide members to avoid any danger of their accidental engagement with the pressing roll I8 is limited by a stop I38 secured to the frame 22 and having its upper end hooked over the crosspiece I28.

The work support consists of a central disk I42, which supports the work against the pressure of the roll It, and a pair of side disks I 44 and I46 which support the work against the pressure of the feed rolls I4 and It, respectively. The disk I42 has a hub I 48 which is mounted upon a shaft IEI! supported between a pair of spaced ears I52 carried by a plunger I54v (Fig. 1). The disks I44 and I are of the same diameter as the disk I42 and they have beveled peripheral portions I56 extending close to the periphery of the disk I42. The work engaging, portions of the disks I44 and I45, while smooth to avoid marring the visible surface of the work piece, nevertheless develop some friction against the work piece. The disks I44 and I46, however, are mounted on ball bearings (not shown) and are freely rotatable upon the hub I48 and thus cooperate with the feed rolls I4 and I5 to advance the work with a minimum of drag. The plunger I54 is movable heightwise in a guideway formed in a bracket I58 (Fig. 1) havingan integral base I66 which is secured to a block I62 mounted on the crosspiece 3i). Clamping screws I64 threaded into the block I62 extend through slots in the base I 62 to enable the bracket I58 to be adjusted forwardly and rearwardly.

The plunger I 54 is urged upwardly by a spring I66 (Fig. l) housed in a bore in the plunger. The lower end of the spring I 56 bears againstv the upper end of a smooth shank formedon an adjusting'screw I68 threaded into the base I62 and having a knurled head I16 by which it can be turned to adjust the compression of the spring I66. The lower end of the screw I68 extends into a recess I H in the block I62. Upward movement of the work support under the influence f thesprmg "its is limited b'y a'stop m (Fig. 1) having its upper end hooked over a projection extending from the base of the ears I52. The

. stop I12 is clamped to the bracket I53 by a screw 6 way as to leave a set of sharp edges I88 for one direction of rotation and a set of rounded projecting surfaces I 90 for the opposite'direction, the roll being reversible upon its shaft'to enable II I threaded into the bracket and pass ng t ough '5 either set to become operative without reversing a slot formed in the stop to permit heightwise adjustment. Fine adjustment of the stop I12 is facilitated by a screw I16 threaded into a lug I'Ifl extending from the bracket I58. The screw I'IB passes loosely through a lug I'I9 on the stop I12 and has a head I80 which bears against the lug I19.

The seam crease guide 28 is an upstanding blade-like member mounted upon a bracket I82 which is clamped by the screw I14 against the stop I12. The lower end of the bracket I82 has a slot to accommodate the screw H4 for various positions of heightwise adjustment of the seam crease guide 26. It will be noted that the seam crease guide 20 is supported independently of the plunger I54 and that it does not partake of the heightwise yielding movement of the work supporting rolls. Its position is therefore fixed (subject to adjustment) in relation to the pressing roll II).

For flat work such as quarter side seams and lining side seams the working surface of the supporting disk I42 should be cylindrical (i. e., flat in radial section), as shown in Fig. 5, while for curved work such as baokseams it should be grooved, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The purpose of the groove is to enable the pressing roll not merely to flatten the seam, but to displace the surplus material of the seam into the groove an dthus mold the seam into the general curva- I ture of the back part of the shoe upper. When the work .piece, which'is inside out during the operation, is turned right side out, the displaced seam material will fill the space at the backseam andithus prevent the formation of a sharp crease, as seen from the outside. For simplicity of disclosure, the diskIZ has been shown with only one grooved portion; but it may be desirable to provide (at different portions of the periphery) several grooves of different widths to accommodate different thicknesses of material. A relatively narrow groove, less than the full width of the periphery of the disk I42, would be used for thin material and a wider groove for thick material. In the illustrated machine both forms of periphery (grooved and non-grooved) are provided on the same disk I42, and the desired form is brought into operative position by loosening a setscrew I84 threaded through one of the ears I52, rotating the disk I42 to bring the selected portion of its periphery into operative position, and then clamping the disk against rotation by tightening the setscrew I84.

' In order to stiffen the seam crease guide 25 against lateral displacement, slots I-Sfi (Fig. 3) are formed in the periphery of the work supporting disk I 42 to receive the tip of the seam crease guide. The slots I86 are so positioned that one or the other will register with the tip of the seam crease guide when the disk I42 is rotated to bring a selected portion of its periphery (i. e., flat or grooved) into operative position.

The pressing roll In (Fig. 8) may, if desired, be fluted sharply enough to form cutting edges which serve to remove some of the material of the seam ridge. The portions of the periphery immediately following these edges are not backed away from the edges; they bear against the work to flatten the material which has not been removed. The fluting may be formed in such a the direction of drivein a machine of the type disclosed herein.

In the operation of the machine a work piece W consisting of a pair of back quarters of a shoe upper united by a seam which forms a ridge R is fed by hand with the seam ridge entering the V-shaped notch between the guides I20 and I22 and with the seam crease riding upon the guide 20. The feed rolls I4 and I6 engage the work piece on opposite sides of the seam and press the work piece against the freely rotatable disks I44 and I46. The feed rolls advance the work piece until the leading end of the Work piece comes into contact with the pressing roll Ill; then they control the feed of the work piece by holding it back against the tendency of the rapidly rotating pressing roll to eject it from the machine, permitting the work piece to feed at the rate imposed by the feed rolls. Another function of the feed rolls is to tension the work piece over the work support. Such tensionin serves to pull the work piece down on opposite sides of the work support at the locality of operation. Now the radius of the work support (i. e., the equal radii of the disks I42, I44 and I46) is less than the radius of heightwise curvature of the backseam of a shoe. To pull the work piece downwardly on opposite sides of the work support will not therefore tend to strain the stitches or straighten out the heightwise curvature of the backseam, while to pull the work piece directly across the seam and not downwardly upon a work support might produce these undesirable results.

As the taut work piece thus advances under the control of the seam ridge guide I8 and the seam crease guide 20, the ridge R is rubbed down substantially flat by the rapidly rotating fluted roll I0. The work supporting disk M2 may yield downwardly in opposition to the spring M55 as occasioned by variations in the thickness of the work piece and the feed rolls may yield laterally in opposition to their springs 92 and I It, likewise to accommodate variations in the thickness of the work piece. The pressing roll I0, because of its large diameter and rapid speed, can perform its operation with a minimum of pressure against the work (by the spring I66) and without dam-v age to the stitches of the seam.

The tension of the work piece may be increased by a lowering of the feed rolls M and I5 through a downward adjustment of the bracket 83, or by a tightening of the springs 92 and Hit. The locality of greatest tension may be shifted forwardly or rearwardly by a corresponding adjustment of the bracket 88. The adjustment of the bracket 88 to obtain the desired position of the feed rolls is made when the machine is being assembled, and in the absence of unusual circumstances, it need never be changed.

Having described my invention, what We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a seam pressing machine, a work suport, a seam rubbing tool, a pair of coaxial driven feed rolls on opposite sides of said work support and of said tool, said feed rolls having frustoconical Work engaging surfaces which flank the seam rubbing tool, and resilient means for pressing said feed rolls toward each other to cause 4 them to grip the work against the sides of the work support.

2. A seam pressing machine comprising a work support, a seam rubbing roll of relatively large diameter, a pair of coaxial shafts having a space between their adjacent ends, a feed roll mounted on each of said shafts, said shafts and said feed rolls being arranged for axial movement of the feed. rolls, said feed rolls having frusto-conical work engaging surfaces, and springs for pressing said feed rolls toward each other to cause them to grip the work against the sides of the work support, the seam rubbing roll extending into the space between the ends of the shafts to bring the locality of operation of the large diameter seam rubbing roll close to the locality at which the work is gripped between the feed rolls and the work support.

3. A seam pressing machine comprising a seam pressing tool, means including a pair of beveled rolls for supporting the seam of a work piece against the pressure of the seam pressing tool, said rolls being engageable with one surface of a work piece, means for supporting said rolls for free rotation independently of each other about a common axis, a pair of rolls co-operating individually with the rolls of the first-mentioned pair to feed the work piece and engageable with the opposite surface of the work piece, and means for driving the rolls of the Second-mentioned pair.

4. In a seam pressing machine having a seam pressing tool and a work feeding means, a work support comprising a member engageable with the under surface of a work piece for supporting the seam of a Work piece against the pressure of the seam pressing tool, and a pair of freely rotatable idler rolls at the opposite sides respectively of said supporting member and engageable with the under surface of the work piece for supporting the work piece against the pressure of the feeding means.

5. In a seam pressing machine having a seam pressing tool and a work feeding means, a work support comprising a member engageable with the under surface of a work piece for supporting the seam of a work piece against the pressure of the seam pressing tool, a pair of freely rotatable idler rolls at the opposite sides respectively of said supporting member and engageable with the under surface of the work piece for supporting the work piece against the pressure of the feeding means, and resilient means for urging said work supporting member and said idler rolls upwardly as a unit to a stop position from which they may yield downwardly as occasioned by the thickness of the work.

6. In a seam pressing machine, a work support comprising a member for supporting the seam of a work piece against the pressure of a seam pressing tool, beveled coaxial disks, one on each side of the work support, and means for supporting said disks for free rotation independently of each other about their common axis, said disks having their peripheries closely adjacent to and substantially continuous with the work support at the locality of operation.

7. A seam pressing machine comprising a seam pressing tool, a member for supporting the seam of a work piece against the pressure of the seam pressing tool, a pair of frusto-conical idler rolls at the opposite sides of the seam supporting memher, and a pair of driven friction rolls co-operating with the idler rolls to advance the work.

8. In a seam pressing machine having a seam pressing tool and work feeding means, a work support comprising a rotary disk having various portions of its periphery of different contour in radial section, a pair of frusto-conical idler rolls at the oppositesides respectively of said disk, a holder in which said disk and said rolls are mounted for rotation about a common axis, and means for securing said disk against rotation after it has been turned to bring a selected portion of its periphery into operating position to support the work against the pressure of the seam pressing tool, said idler rolls servin to support the work against the pressure of the feeding means and being freely rotatable to facilitate the feed of the work.

9. A seam pressing machine comprising a seam pressing tool, a work support, resilient means urging said work support toward the seam pressing tool to hold a work piece yieldingly against the tool, a seam crease guide, and a rigid support for said seam crease guide which is independent of the resiliently urged work support for holding the seam crease guide in fixed relation to the seam pressing tool regardless of the yielding movement of the work support.

EDWARD QUINN. FRED E. MUZZEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Osborne Dec. 18, 1883 

